In The Beginning

In The Beginning! A Few References and Resources:

Holy Bible, St. Jerome Edition, The New Catholic Study Bible, with Bible Study Helps such as Harmony of the Gospels, the Parables and Miracles of Jesus Christ, How to study the Bible and Suggested Readings for the Liturgical Year…Biblical Information, such as St. Jerome: Writer, Scholar, Saint, Church Teaching on Inspiration, How the Bible Came About and Bible Land Maps.
The Navarre Bible ~ Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; Acts of the Apostles and Commentaries
Set of Commentaries by William Barclay
The Liturgical Desk Calendar used for the Special Observances, Catholic Holydays, the daily readings and liturgical color for my home altar.
Lectionary for Mass from the Roman Missal.
The Order of Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours and Celebration of the Eucharist.
Oxford Dictionary of the Saints, Edited by David Farmer a single volume or Butler’s Lives of the Saints (four volumes).
Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (A one-volume reference).

My brother, Lee Joseph Jr., gifted me with the beautiful book “A Light for the World Essays and Reflections on the Papacy of John Paul II”. Lee J’s inscription reads, “Bernadette – to the second most religious sibling in our family!”

The First Age of the Church (33 AD – 330 AD)

Second Age (330 – 660)

Third Age (650 – 1050)

Fourth Age (1050 – 1450)

Fifth Age (1400 – 1789)

Sixth Age (1789 – Present)

Patrology, Forty-six ancient Christian Writers series starting with The Epistles of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch through St. Iranaeus and Tertullian to Letters of St. Cyprian, Vol. 3.

Early Christian Fathers ~ Edited by Cyril C. Richardson; The Early Christian

Fathers, A selection from the writings of the Fathers from St. Clement of Rome to St. Athanasius ~ Edited and translated by Henry Bettenson, Dorotheos of Gaza Discourses and Sayings ~ Translated by Eric P. Wheeler

The series entitled The Classics of Western Spirituality, A Library of the Great Spiritual Master i.e., John Climacus, Hildegard of Bingen, Carthusian Spirituality Bonaventure, Cistercian Greats ~ Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Saint-Thierry etc. etc.!!
The Doctors of the Church … see below …
The Desert Fathers and Mothers, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Translated by Benedicta Ward, SLG
The Divine Office, One volume edition
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Encyclopedia
Pocket Catholic Dictionary
Second Vatican Council Documents, Volumes l and ll
Classic Catholic Converts Fr. Charles P. Connors
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, St. John Henry Newman and anything else by this Saint!
The Monastic Wisdom Series Patrick Hart, OCSO, General Editor…Benedictine Monastic Spirituality books galore!

A Few Areas of Interest …

v Paper: Newsletters of Religious Orders: Sisters of Divine Providence, San Antonio, TX, Olivetan Benedictines, Jonesboro, AR, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Washington, D.C., Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Hanceville, AL, Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel United States, Philippines, and Timor-Leste, New Orleans, LA. Also, The Week, ‘Our State’ - North Carolina, ‘SHARE’ - Catholic Daughters of America, ‘COLUMBIA’ - Knights of Columbus and American Library Association Journal…my elementary school friend is a university librarian and saves the previous year stack of these jewels which I devour! I can hardly read a page without envisioning …!!!)

v Electronic: National Catholic Register, Life Site News, Oblate Programs of St. Benedict: Belmont Abbey, North Carolina, St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN, The Institute for Digital Archaeology, Center for Basque Studies, University of Reno, NV, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fast Company: Technology, Design, World Changing Ideas, Most Innovative Companies and ‘Roads’ Scholars! Also Youtube: spiritual speakers/authors galore, Book TV/C-Span

v DVD: THE SUMMIT ~ ‘Into Great Silence’ ~ “One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, Into Great Silence dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life.” ~ The Grande Chartreuse, France built in the 11^th century.

v Topics: Monastic Spirituality, Saints, The Classics, Church Fathers, Desert Fathers/Mothers, The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom/Twenty Centuries of the Spirit and Substance of Catholicism, Historical Biographies.

v Gregorian Chant is definitely my music of choice for every day is spent in imagining, focusing and tracking ministries! Favorite CD ~ Saint Benedict Gregorian Chant Monastic Choir of the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault

v Monastery Greetings Catalog. Products created by Monasteries, Religious Communities & Hermitages. www.MonasteryGreetings.com

DOCTORS OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

Since the thirteenth century, the Catholic Church has bestowed the title “doctor of the Church” on the following men and women.

Name	Titles	Born	Died	Promoted	Activity
St. Gregory the Great		540(ca.)	March 12, 604	1298	Pope
St. Ambrose		340(ca.)	April 4, 397	1298	Bishop of Milan
St. Augustine	Doctor gratiae (Doctor of Grace)	354	August 28, 430	1298	Bishop of Hippo (now Annaba)
St. Jerome		347(ca.)	September 30, 420	1298	Priest, monk
St. John Chrysostom		347	407	1568	Archbishop of Constantinople
St. Basil the Great		330	January 1, 379	1568	Bishop of Caesarea
St. Gregory Nazianzus		329	January 25, 389	1568	Archbishop of Constantinople
St. Athanasius		298	May 2, 373	1568	Archbishop of Alexandria
St. Thomas Aquinas	Doctor angelicus (Angelic Doctor); Doctor communis (Common Doctor)	1225	March 7, 1274	1568	Priest, Theologian, O.P.
St. Bonaventure	Doctor seraphicus (Seraphic Doctor)	1221	July 15, 1274	1588	Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Theologian, Minister General, O.F.M.
St. Anselm	Doctor magnificus (Magnificent Doctor); Doctor Marianus (Marian Doctor)	1033 or 1034	April 21, 1109	1720	Archbishop of Canterbury,O.S.B.
St. Isidore of Seville		560	April 4, 636	1722	Bishop of Seville
St. Peter Chrysologus		406	450	1729	Bishop of Ravenna
St. Leo the Great	Doctor of the Church's Unity	400	November 10, 461	1754	Pope
St. Peter Damian		1007	February 21, 1072	1828	Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, monk, O.S.B.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux	Doctor mellifluus (Mellifluous Doctor)	1090	August 21, 1153	1830	Priest, O.Cist.
St. Hilary of Poitiers		300	367	1851	Bishop of Poitiers
St. Alphonsus Liguori	Doctor zelantissimus (Most Zealous Doctor)	1696	August 1, 1787	1871	Bishop of Sant'Agata de' Goti, C.Ss.R. (Founder)
St. Francis de Sales	Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity)	1567	December 28, 1622	1877	Bishop of Geneva OFM, Cap.
St. Cyril of Alexandria	Doctor Incarnationis (Doctor of theIncarnation)	376	July 27, 444	1883	Archbishop of Alexandria
St. Cyril of Jerusalem		315	386	1883	Archbishop of Jerusalem
St. John Damascene		676	December 5, 749	1890	Priest, monk
St. Bede the Venerable		672	May 27, 735	1899	Priest, monk, O.S.B.
St. Ephrem^[8]		306	373	October 5, 1920	Deacon
St. Peter Canisius		1521	December 21, 1597	May 1, 1925	Priest, S.J.
St. John of the Cross	Doctor mysticus (Mystic Doctor)	1542	December 14, 1591	1926	Priest, mystic, O.C.D.(Founder)
St. Robert Bellarmine		1542	September 17, 1621	1931	Archbishop of Capua, Theologian, S.J.
St. Albertus Magnus^[9]	Doctor universalis (Universal Doctor)	1193	November 15, 1280	December 15, 1931	Bishop of Regensburg, Theologian, O.P.
St. Anthony of Lisbon and Padua	Doctor evangelicus (Evangelical Doctor)	1195	June 13, 1231	January 16, 1946	Priest, O.F.M.
St. Lawrence of Brindisi	Doctor apostolicus (Apostolic Doctor)	1559	July 22, 1619	1959	Priest, Diplomat, O.F.M. Cap.
St. Teresa of Ávila^[10]		1515	October 4, 1582	September 27, 1970	Mystic, O.C.D. (Founder)
St. Catherine of Siena		1347	April 29, 1380	October 3, 1970	Mystic, O.P. (Consecrated virgin)
St. Thérèse of Lisieux		1873	September 30, 1897	October 19, 1997	O.C.D. (Nun)
St. John of Ávila		1500	May 10, 1569	October 7, 2012	Priest, Mystic
St. Hildegard of Bingen		1098	September 17, 1179	October 7, 2012	Visionary, theologian, composer, polymath,O.S.B. (Abbess)
St. Gregory of Narek^[11]		951	1003	April 12, 2015	Monk, poet, mystical philosopher, theologian